Prospect Spotlight: Vasko Novak (2020)
After sitting out his frosh season because of a medical issue, it’s time for Waterloo West 6-foot-4 guard Vasko Novak to show he coiuld be one of 2020’s best prospects.
It took him awhile to get back into the groove this spring, but by summer he was one of the breakout 2020s we saw.
He played this spring and summer with All Iowa Attack 15U Red
“I would say in April and May, I was playing not very confident, those were my first games back because I didn’t play my freshman year because I was injured. And then we had some time off in June and that’s when I started realizing my strengths again, and I started regaining my strength again,” said Novak.
“Then in July, when we returned, that’s when I played my best basketball. I just started taking over games, and taking better shots, and my IQ overall just got a lot better.”
Last fall, Novak discovered he’d developed blood clots, and had to miss his freshman season as a result.
“I lost all my strength and had to gain it all back, which took time. I couldn’t take contact to the stomach or the head, so I couldn’t play competitive basketball,” he said.
“I think it was about the middle of March is when I got cleared to play, and that’s when I started realizing that I needed to take it serious, and that I could play again.”
Now, as he heads into his sophomore season with a Wahawks group that features one of the state’s best crop of young talent, Novak says he’s ready to prove himself.
“We started a sixth-grade team with Nick Pepin’s dad and won state in eighth-grade with our junior Wahawks team,” said Novak.
“My spot on the varsity will be to spot-up and play point guard a little bit. We’ve been practicing a lot together in the summer, so our chemistry improved. And everyone knows each other’s game pretty well.”
He added: “I have pretty high expectations, especially because I missed my freshman year. Nobody really knew who I was freshman year because I didn’t play. So I just want to show everybody that I can play.”